Banjo-Kazooie is 20 years old. Actually, video gaming’s best bear and bird combo turned 20 two days ago (belated best wishes and all that!). But we thought it still okay to celebrate Rare’s much-loved adventure and remember why people still ask for a new game in the series.
The series began life on 29th June 1998 with the North American release of Banjo-Kazooie on Nintendo 64. After the stonking success of GoldenEye, N64 owners were excited to see what Rare would come up with next. It turned out to be Britsoft’s answer to Super Mario 64. Check out Eurogamer’s analysis of the Xbox Live Arcade re-release of Banjo-Kazooie for more. Here’s a snippet:
“Presented with characteristic flair, it’s a chirpy rescue tale featuring Banjo the bear and an intolerant bird named Kazooie who rides on his back. Structured almost identically to Super Mario 64, you wander around a varied hub-like environment known as Spiral Mountain on the hunt for the evil witch Gruntilda, who has captured Banjo’s sister Tooty for basically being pretty.”
Source: Eurogamer As Banjo-Kazooie turns 20, we remember Rare's answer to Super Mario 64